


November Drabble Challenge

by tspofnutmeg



Category: Free!, Haikyuu!!, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Drabbles, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-26
Packaged: 2019-02-22 05:06:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 18,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13159890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tspofnutmeg/pseuds/tspofnutmeg
Summary: Trying to get back into writing again, did a drabble for every day in November based off quote prompts from tumblr. Grouped by Fandom, please enjoy!Ch 1 - 7: Haikyuu!!Ch 8 - 16: Star WarsCh 17 - 21: Voltron Legendary DefenderCh 22 - 30: Free!





	1. DaiSuga - “She was crying, right there in the middle of the grocery store.”

Daichi imagined many things when he received the text from Suga reading,  _ “Had a problem at the store, can you pick up dinner on your way home?” _

At first he worried about Suga’s safety, but rationally he knew Suga would call if it was a real emergency. Maybe Suga had forgotten his wallet and was too annoyed to go home and fetch it only to go back to the store again. It could be Suga saw the super annoying bro from down the hall who grabbed his ass at the last community social and just didn’t want to deal.

Whatever random thing Daichi thought up, he certainly did not expect to walk into his home and see a woman he didn’t know wrapped up in his favorite blanket on his couch. He stepped back into the hall and checked the number next to the door. Unit 407, Sawamura and Sugawara. It was the right apartment. 

The woman looked up expectantly. Daichi stared back at her, trying to think of the appropriate thing to say. She was obviously in distress and he didn’t want to bring her more trouble, but he also needed to know what the fuck she was doing there and where in the hell was his boyfriend.

Daichi finally opened his mouth.

“Uh…”

An amused snort came from Daichi’s left. Suga walked over and offered him a kiss on the cheek.

“As eloquent as always, Captain,” Suga said with a smirk.

Daichi frowned at him, showing he was none too pleased to be left in the dark about whatever was going on.

“This is Kakizaki-san. She had a little incident with her boyfriend and she needed a place to think for a little bit.” Suga smiled warmly at her.

The frown on Daichi’s face didn’t go away completely, but it became less harsh. It definitely was not enough of an explanation, but the pieces were starting to fit together.

“I was just about to make some tea, why don’t you help me, Daichi? Just stay here and relax, Kakizaki-san.”

Suga grabbed Daichi’s wrist and tugged him into the kitchen. It was far enough away from the living room that they wouldn’t be easily overheard as long as they kept their voices down.

Suga looked at Daichi, hoping for understanding. “I couldn’t leave her. She was crying, right there in the middle of the grocery store. And it wasn’t the dignified kind of crying, Daichi, she was sobbing so much her snot was dripping onto the grapefruits.”

“Gross.”

“It was super gross, I let one of the employees know so they could throw them out,” Suga said. “It would have been a crime to just let her suffer there by herself!”

Daichi sighed. He knew Suga was right, and honestly, his kindness and compassion for others was one of his best qualities. However, it was also one of Suga’s blind spots, too often taking people at face value. Suga knew there were bad people in the world, but he never thinks someone could take advantage of him.

“I know you want to save everyone from sadness…”

“Not everyone,” Suga interrupted.

Daichi continued without acknowledging the comment. “I don’t like the idea of you bringing strangers over to our apartment, Suga. This is our private space, our  _ home _ , and I want to make sure it’s always safe for us. I know this time might not be a big deal, Kakizaki-san looks harmless enough, but what if the next person is faking the waterworks to get you to pity them?”

Suga opened his mouth to argue, but the sincere worry in Daichi’s face stopped him before any sound came out. He knew Daichi was right; it wasn’t his brightest idea to bring back some random person to their apartment, but at the time Suga was thinking more with his heart than his head.

Daichi took Suga’s hands into his. Daichi’s constantly warm hands were the perfect match for Suga’s cold ones. He gave them a firm squeeze.

“Next time, please, be more careful,” Daichi was almost whispering. “I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you.”

Objectively, Suga knew he should be indignant. Daichi knew very well Suga would never want Daichi to be hurt on his account. All he had to do was say something about how worried he was about Suga because his life would be over without him, or some other cheesy line, and Suga was instantly agreeing with whatever Daichi wanted.

The problem was Daichi was sincere. Too sincere. Suga’s happiness, safety, and wellbeing was honestly one of his top concerns. There was no way for him to argue because he knew Daichi really was scared for him.

Suga gave Daichi’s hand a squeeze in return. “I will. I promise I’ll be more careful.”   


“No more strangers in the apartment?”   


Suga agreed. “No more strangers in the apartment.”

“Thank you, Koushi.” Daichi leaned in to press a kiss to Suga’s lips. “Let’s get that tea and see if I need to go over and kick Kakizaki-san’s boyfriend’s ass.”


	2. DaiSuga Vlogger AU - “I’m addicted and I admit that I need help.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I might turn this one into a longer fic?

Daichi threw himself into a chair at the table where Kuroo was studying and slid his phone across to him.

“I’m addicted and I admit that I need help.”

A wicked grin stretched across Kuroo’s face as he picked up the phone. “Finally!” he said, “You’ve been glue to this thing for two months. So what is it, huh? Online gambling? Porn? Oh my god, Daichi, did you finally download Grinder?”

Daichi, whose blushed deepend as Kuroo ran his mouth, snatched his phone back from him before he could figure out his lock screen code.

“It’s nothing like that!” Daichi retorted. “I just… I fell into a YouTube rabbit hole one night and I came across this vlogger…”

“A what?” Kuroo asked.

“A vlogger, a video blogger. Here, it’s easier if I just show you.” He opened up his phone and pulled up a window in a second. He handed it back over to Kuroo who whistled as soon as he looked at the screen.

“He’s cute, definitely your type!”

“My type?”

“Yeah, fluffy hair, big smile, sparkling eyes. Just like your ex,” Kuroo explained.

Daichi frowned. He hadn’t considered that, but now that the similarities were pointed out, he did look an awful lot like Yui. They even had kind of the same personalities. Bubbly, but serious when it was warranted. Kind and gentle, but would fight for what they believed in. Outgoing, but with a hint of doubt that was endearing.

Shit, did he only like the vlogger because he wasn’t over Yui yet? Suddenly Daichi felt less creepy, but more guilty for falling for him.

Still looking through Daichi’s phone, Kuroo commented, “Whoa, you seriously watched all of his videos? He has over 300! You’re in deep.”

Sighing, Daichi rubbed his eyes with the pads of his palms. “That’s why I said I needed help. How do I stop? I need to get over him.”

“Hell yeah you do.”

“Kuroo.”

“Oh, my bad, if you want him over you, that’s cool too.”

Daichi’s forehead landed on the table with a thunk. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

“Of course I did, but it’s so much fun to tease you,” Kuroo said as he continued scrolling. “I don’t see what the problem is, everyone has crushes on semi-fictional people. This is no different than people being into movie stars.”

“But I don’t want to have a crush on him, especially if it’s just because he reminds me of Yui. That’s just shitty,” Daichi explained.

Kuroo shrugged. “Fine, here’s what you do. It says here he’s going to be at some vlogger event this weekend. Go there and meet him. The people you admire online are never as friendly or beautiful in person. You’ll be disappointed and BAM! Problem solved.”

Daichi stared at Kuroo in shock. “That’s… That’s actually a great idea.”

“Sometimes I even surprise myself.” 

-

Four days later Kuroo opened a text message from Daichi.

_ “That was a terrible fucking idea.” _


	3. DaiSuga College AU - “I’m really drunk, please help me.”

Suga threw down his phone, done replying to birthday messages for the time being. He shouldn’t even be in his room right now. He should be stuffing his face with the spiciest mapo tofu in the city, but the man who was supposed to pay for said meal was two hours late.

His phone buzzed again and he picked it up, maybe this time it’d be a text from Daichi with a really good excuse for why he wasn’t here.

He was right, it was from Daichi, but content of the message was a surprise.

 

**_Captain:_ **

_ I’m really drunk, please help me. _

 

The sound that came out of Suga was something between a sigh and a strangled groan. He swiftly got to his feet and grabbed his keys. He was mad, but it wouldn’t stop him from bailing out Daichi. 

Locking the door behind him, Suga replied he was on his way. There was only one place Daichi would feel safe drinking in, the house where the senior members of his volleyball team lived. It was a ten minute walk away, plenty of time for him to plan out how he could have at least a little bit of fun at Daichi’s expense.

Cheeks red from the walk, Suga knocked loudly on the front door. He knew exactly how he looked. Jeans that made his legs look a mile long and his ass even more drool worthy than usual. His shirt had a wide collar showing off his sharp collar bones and the trail of beauty marks leading down his chest. He set his lips in a little pout right when the door swung open.

“Suga!” shouted Toshitake, one of their middle blockers. “You came to party!”

“I came to collect my boyfriend. You’re hogging him on my birthday.”

Toshitake’s expression filled with dread. Even upperclassmen knew not to cross Daichi. He quickly led Suga into the living room where Daichi was half hanging over the side of a large chair. His face was flushed, scrunched up like he was making an effort to try to appear less drunk than he actually was. Suga was astounded he was able to text him with no spelling errors.

Toshitake walked over and whapped Daichi with a pillow. “Sawamura! You didn’t tell us it’s your boyfriend’s birthday!”

The rest of the group hollered, chiding Daichi playfully.

“You’re lucky he didn’t go out without you!”

“I’ll take him out if you’re too drunk!”

“You don’t get to scold me for being late ever again!”

Daichi looked up, confusion in his eyes. “Suga?”

Suga went over to him, grabbing his arms and helping him up. He wobbled on his feet until Suga wrapped an arm around his back and tossed Daichi’s arm over his shoulder. “I’m here to take you home, babe.”

“You better be apologizing the whole way home, Daichi!” Someone called as they started toward the door.

“Don’t worry fellas, he has all day tomorrow to make it up to me,” Suga said with a wink.

Another person whistled. The last thing Suga heard before they walked out was, “If you dump him, give me a call!”

Suga knew if Daichi was sober he’d be sending a death glare to his teammates. Even if they weren’t actually dating, Daichi was still fiercely protective of him, even toward his upperclassmen. He had lightly threatened them all when they first met Suga, and lectured about appropriate behavior. 

Suga thought it was cute, but now he knew exactly who to flirt with when he wanted extra attention from Daichi.

“I-I’m your boyfriend?” Daichi slurred once they were safely on the sidewalk.

Suga considered Daichi probably wouldn’t remember the events of the night very well, so he might as well be honest. “It’s my birthday, Daichi. I get to make a wish, and my wish is for you to be my boyfriend.”

Daichi frowned, eyebrows knitting together like they always do when he tries to solve a difficult problem.

“But I forgot your birthday.”

“You did.”

Daichi’s frown deepened, but he didn’t respond. They stumbled along in silence for a while until they turned the corner and saw their building.

“Only bad boyfriends forget their boyfriend’s birthday… Suga, I’m a bad boyfriend,” Daichi said quietly. 

“You’re not a bad boyfriend, Daichi. You just did something bad. I still love you.”

Daichi was silent again and Suga wondered if he’d gone too far. It wasn’t like it was the first time he had told Daichi he loved him, but it was the first time it was in a romantic sense - pretend or not. He reminded himself Daichi wouldn’t remember this at all when he woke up tomorrow. 

They made it up to their room with Daichi only having to stop and puke once. Suga was grateful for the trashcan next to the elevator.

Once inside the room, Suga helped Daichi undress, leaving him in his boxer briefs and a tank top. After forcing a couple aspirin, a vitamin b pill, and a bottle of water in him, Suga helped Daichi lay down, tucking him in carefully.

Before Suga moved away, Daichi reached out and gripped his wrist, squeezing gently. 

“I’m gonna be a better boyfriend starting tomorrow, Suga, I promise.”

A pang of guilt stabbed Suga’s heart at how remorseful Daichi sounded. He brushed Daichi’s sweaty bangs back from his forehead and smiled. “You’re already the best boyfriend I could ask for, Dai.”

Daichi smiled back, his stupidest, goofiest grin, before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep. He was still holding onto Suga’s wrist.

-

Daichi accidentally let the door slam behind him as he walked in with fresh coffee and pastries from Suga’s favorite cafe. He set them down on Suga’s nightstand, smiling at his rumpled appearance when he rolled over to face him.

“Good morning, I brought your favorite,” Daichi said in a cheerful voice.

Suga groaned, “How are you so awake after how much you drank last night?”

“I heal quickly,” Daichi answered. “Besides, I have a mission today.”

“Mission?” Suga asked as he sat up running a hand through his sleep tousled hair.

“I promised you, didn’t I? That’d I’d be a better boyfriend starting today.”

Heat shot through Suga’s entire body. He knew his face must match Daichi’s awful red uniform. “D-Daichi, you don’t have to do that… I was… it was just a…” Suga trailed off. He couldn’t bring himself to say it. It wasn’t a joke, Suga had the same birthday wish since he turned seventeen. But this wasn’t how he imagined it, guilting a drunk Daichi into doing what he wanted. It wasn’t right, he wanted Daichi to want to be with him just as much as he did.

Daichi sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. “What if I want to…? What if I want to be your boyfriend?”

“What?” Suga whispered. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“I want this, Suga, I’ve  _ wanted _ this for a long time,” Daichi confessed. “That’s why I even agreed to have a drink with them on your birthday,. I was hoping it would calm my nerves, so I could tell you how I felt… but then I just got more nervous and drank more and forgot about dinner and messed everything up.” 

Oh no. Suga was not ready for this. He had prepared himself for Daichi forgetting about everything. At worst, he figured Daichi might remember snippets and he could tease him as a joke, something for his teammates to razz him about later and get him flustered. He never expected Daichi asking to make his wish a reality.

“You… you want to be boyfriends.”

“Yes,” Daichi confirmed.

“With me?”

“Yes, only with you.”

“You-”

Daichi cut him off, “Jeez, are you sure you didn’t have anything to drink last night? You’re usually quicker than this.”

Suga glared at him. It wasn’t his fault he couldn’t believe this. As far as he was concerned, this came out of nowhere. It’s not like it wasn’t possible for Daichi to want him like this, but he never got any signals. Suga was good at reading signals and clues, it’s what made him a decent setter.

But Daichi was not a setter, he was a receiver. He took whatever hurdled toward him head on and directly. It wasn’t about finesse or hints. If Daichi wanted something to be known, he’d say it outright and honestly. When Suga looked up, he could see that sincerity in his eyes.

“Sugawara Koushi, I love you and I want to be together with you in a romantic relationship.”

Suga’s smile in response was radiant. It may be a day late, but this was the best birthday gift ever.

  
  
  



	4. DaiSuga Hogwarts AU - “So because he said you should, you thought it would be okay to follow through with it?”

Suga did not like getting woken up in the middle of the night. He was the type who needed seven uninterrupted hours of sleep to maintain his cheerful demeanor. There were some exceptions, of course - getting up at midnight to go stargazing, waking up early to watch the sunrise from the owlery - but those were all by Suga’s choice. Suga hated his sleep getting ruined because he had to deal with underclassmen in his house getting in trouble.

Unfortunately, that’s exactly what he was doing now. 

It was a cold night too, and he was too annoyed to be bothered to get into some real clothes. He wrapped his blanket around himself, put on his slippers, and called it good.

When Suga walked into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, the younger students were already getting chewed out by a Gryffindor prefect. It was the handsome one Suga always noticed, but never built up the courage to talk to. He always had boisterous people around him and he had never made an effort to reach out to Suga, so he figured he wasn’t interested in getting to know each other.

It was too bad. Suga really wanted to know if he was always so cool and collected, and he had a few fun ideas to test his resolve.

Suga looked at the students in trouble and wasn’t surprised. Hinata, Kagayama, Tsukishima, and Yamaguchi. For the most part they were good kids, but trouble when put together. Sighing, he made his way to the front and stood next to Daichi who nodded at him in acknowledgement, arms crossed over his chest.

The four tried to hide their soft chuckles. Suga glared at them. “What exactly is funny about getting in trouble and dragging your professor and upperclassmen out of bed in the middle of the night?”

“Sorry, Suga-senpai! It’s just hard to take you seriously when you’re cocooned in a blanket like that. You just look really cute.”

More sniggering from Yamaguchi and Tsukishima.

Suga’s eyes narrowed. “I always look really cute, Hinata.”

Daichi couldn’t help but agree. His eyes sought out Suga wherever he went. He had memorized the changes in Suga’s appearance at mealtimes - very put together at breakfast, mussed hair and wrinkled cloak at lunch, tie completely undone and sleeves rolled up at dinner. He knew Suga wore glasses whenever he was reading in the library, and he always chose the third seat from the back with the perfect view of the lake. The look of joy or pride on Suga’s face when he accomplished a difficult spell or made a proper potion was usually the last thought Daichi had before falling asleep.

Daichi was in deep, and he still hadn’t even spoken to him.

It was Suga’s turn to lay it into the students. It was a different kind of scolding, the kind that even made Daichi cringe because it wasn’t meant to instill anger or fear, it was meant to shame.

“So because he said you should, you thought it would be okay to follow through with it? Hinata, we talked about this… You can’t let other people bait you all the time.” Suga’s voice dripped with disappointment. 

Hinata looked down at his feet and mumbled, “I’m sorry, Suga-senpai.”

Daichi wondered when Suga had gotten to known Hinata, who was in his house. Maybe it was because he was constantly vying with Kageyama on the quidditch field. 

“Kageyama, I know you get just as carried away as Hinata, but I also know you have a lot of control and discipline. If you can’t learn to exercise it on your own, I’ll ask Oikawa to give you a few lessons.”

Kagayama paled and bowed deeply. “I will practice!”

“And you,” Suga said, pointing at Tsukishima, “We’re going to have a very serious talk about your attitude later. You followed them because you wanted to get them in trouble, which is breaking the rules  _ and _ being petty.”

Tsukishima bristled, looking like he wanted to defend himself. Thankfully he knew better than to talk back.

Suga didn’t stop there. “Yamaguchi, you need to stand up for yourself. I know it’s hard to say no to your friends, but I expect better from you. You’re so smart and talented on your own, you don’t have to keep hiding in other people’s shadows.”

Yamaguchi flushed and nodded.

Did Suga know everyone in this school? How come he didn’t know Daichi though? Did he do something wrong to make Suga not like him? He racked his brain, trying to think of some slight offense that might have happened.

Professor Ukai, who had been semi asleep at his desk the whole time stood up and stretched. “I think that about covers it. Ten points from each of you, now get to bed.”

“I want your sincere apologies ready by breakfast!” Suga called after their retreating backs. “Sorry about this professor.”

Ukai shrugged. “I got my fair share of scoldings when I was student here, but now I have to uphold the rules. You two did the dirty work. Sawamura, make sure he gets back to his dorm without falling asleep in a hallway.”

Daichi was suddenly flooded with admiration for the head of his house for giving him this opportunity to talk to Suga. They left the classroom and strolled slowly through the halls. 

“Sorry to force you out of bed,” Daichi started, “I told Ukai I could handle it, but he thought it best to call you as well.”

“It’s fine, it’s part of the job. Besides, I want them to know I’m watching them in addition to supporting them,” Suga answered.

Daichi chuckled, a deep rumbling Suga definitely wanted to hear more of. “You were very good at it. I think they felt properly ashamed.”

Suga whined, “But now I’m wide awake.”

This was Daichi’s chance, he had to take it. “Want to get something to eat from the kitchens?”   


“Prefect Sawamura, didn’t we just lecture students about sneaking around the castle at night?” Suga’s asked in mock surprise.

“Isn’t it our responsibility to make sure there aren’t more students out of bed, Prefect Sugawara?”

Suga smirked. “The kitchen is a very popular place for troublemakers.”

“Exactly.”

Suga decided it wasn’t so bad to get woken up after all.


	5. DaiSuga Hogwarts AU - “I promise, it’s just this once.”

 

“I promise, it’s just this once,” Suga pleaded.

Daichi still didn’t want to do this, but he also couldn’t say no to Suga. He was Head Boy. He was responsible and mature and well behaved. He shouldn’t be swayed by flushed cheeks, long eyelashes, and plump lips.

But he was. Daichi was screwed and he knew it. The faster he could admit it to himself, the faster he'd be sneaking around the campus at night with Suga. Maybe they would have to hold hands while they ran from a professor on patrol. Maybe Suga would be so grateful for Daichi’s help he would give him a kiss on the cheek in thanks. Detention would be worth that. 

Suga already knew he won, knew it from the moment he had approached Daichi. Still, he gave him a excited and pleased smile when he agreed. 

-

Suga probably shouldn’t be able to sneak into Daichi’s private room in Gryffindor Tower, but he can. The Fat Lady probably likes Suga more than the majority of her own students, and the students seem to love him more than their own prefects. Daichi should feel offended, but he felt the same way about Suga. 

Daichi was dressed and waiting when Suga arrived. He could’ve gotten a couple hours asleep, but he was too excited (and nervous) to sit still. Instead he finished three homework assignments that weren't due until next week. 

Suga was all smiles and held his hand out for Daichi, who hoped the dim light hid his blush. He took it and Suga pulled him out of his room, through the empty common room, and out into the silent castle hallways.

They walked along for a while, fingers still linked, before Daichi spoke up, “You never told me what we were actually doing, Suga. I know you don’t need my help sneaking into the kitchens.”

Suga chuckled and kept walking, “I read an interesting piece of information while I was doing research a few months ago. We’re going to verify if it’s true or not.”

“So this is school related?”

“Yes, so you don’t need to freak out about breaking the rules,” he smirked. “Hopefully I can use this for a project. I need someone else there as a witness to make it more credible.”

Daichi gave a half hearted smile, “And no one would accuse the Head Boy of lying.”

Suga hummed thoughtfully. “That’s true, but that’s not why I asked you.”

The way Suga squeezed his hand while he said it made Daichi’s heart race.

They made it out of the castle with no incidents and crossed over to the lake. Suga picked a spot on a slight hill where they had the best view of the dark water, and reached into his pocket for a small pouch. He pulled out a blanket, a thermos of cocoa, and a basket of snacks. 

Daichi tried to keep his cool, but this was suspiciously close to a moonlight picnic date. He took a seat on the ground next to Suga who also had a roll of parchment and a quill ready next to him. Honesty, Daichi admired he could turn a research opportunity into something romantic.

No, not romantic. This was not romantic. This was not a date.

Suga handed Daichi a mug of cocoa and scooted close enough their shoulders were touching. He glanced at the stars before whispering to him, “It should be starting soon, keep your eyes on the water.”

Daichi didn’t know if he could do it, the way Suga’s hair glowed in the starlight was more pleasing than a crappy lake.

As if Suga knew what Daichi was thinking, he turned his face to smile at him, lifting a finger and pushing his chin to face forward. Daichi was about to complain when he saw what looked like a beam of light jump out of the water and back in.

The illumination spread through the lake. Daichi realized it was bioluminescent fish leaping out of the water, but it still looked like it was stars dancing over the lake. He snuck a glance at Suga who was watching with a look of wonder and pure delight. 

Daichi turned his attention back to the water, and he felt Suga’s head come to rest on his shoulder. 

“They’re called _ buwan isda _ . They only come out every one hundred years to dance and mate, so there’s not a ton of records of them. They were fished practically to extinction… Hogwarts has one of the few protected populations left in the world.”

Daichi hummed in acknowledgement, worried if he tried to speak his voice would crack. Suga was so, so close to him.

“There’s a legend about them too,” Suga continued, “If a couple declares their love for each other while watching the dance, their love is supposed to last for a hundred years.”

Daichi was sure Suga could feel how much his entire body flushed. He swallowed thickly and managed to choke out a few words, “O-one hundred years, huh?”

“Yeah, I mean, i’m planning on living to be older than 117, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to get a little bit of insurance.”

Daichi couldn’t help but look over, only to see Suga was already looking at him with the softest look he'd ever seen. This couldn’t be happening. 

“I love you, Daichi. I have since we went down to the kitchens that time in fifth year and you accidentally snorted pumpkin juice up your nose because you were laughing too hard.”

He wanted to protest that Suga could’ve picked from any number of his finer moments, but that’s what made it true, isn’t it? If Suga loved him when he was an embarrassing dork, then Suga probably always loved him.

“I love you too, Suga. Since that time you fell off your broom right into Noya’s mud sculpture while trying to rescue Hitoka’s cat out of a tree.”

Suga laughed loudly, the sound ringing over the noise from the lake. “That damn cat! It took two hours to scrub that ‘magic mud’ off!”

Daichi chuckled, his arm coming to rest around Suga’s waist. Suga smiled back at him and resumed his position resting against Daichi’s side.

“One hundred years, huh?” Daichi said softly.

“That’s what the legend says. But I think we can do better than that.”

Daichi grinned. “You know I never back down from a challenge.”

 


	6. IwaSuga - “Does it hurt you as much as it hurts me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IwaSuga is a good rarepair.

Oikawa Tooru crossed his arms in front of his chest, glaring at the sight before him. It was an abomination. A miscarriage of justice. It shouldn’t be.

“Does it hurt you as much as it hurts me, Dai-chan?” he asked.

Sawamura Daichi closed his eyes and took a sip of his coffee. “One, don’t call me that. Two, no, it doesn’t. In fact, it makes me happy. You should be happy for them, too.”

Oikawa just snorted and continued glaring across the cafe. From their table, they could see Iwaizumi laughing at Suga waving his arms wildly, animatedly telling a story. Unless you looked under the table, where Suga’s legs were stretched out, ankles resting across Iwaizumi’s lap, no one would think they were anything more than two friends enjoying some tea and cake.

But Oikawa knew.

He found out through Hanamaki Iwaizumi was going on a date. When Oikawa pressed him for more information, the vague hints alluded to the Karasuno setter. Of course that meant he needed the crow captain involved, mostly in order to maximize damage when they were caught in the act of sneaking around (Oikawa had been fairly certain the two were already an item, so Daichi’s current nonchalant attitude came as an extra surprise).

What Oikawa didn’t know was that Daichi had been privy to the situation from the very start. He knew about Suga working part time over the summer with Iwaizumi at the bookstore. How Iwaizumi would walk Suga home when they closed, and one night he was brave enough to take Suga’s hand. He knew when Suga kissed him during the fireworks show at the town festival, and how Iwaizumi showed up at his door first thing the next morning to ask Suga properly if he would be his boyfriend. 

“How can you not be upset, Dai-chan? Aren’t you and Mr. Refreshing a couple?” Oikawa squawked in disbelief.

“We tried going out after first year, but decided we were better off as friends.” Daichi rolled his eyes at the skeptical look on Oikawa’s face. “Suga means the world to me, but I’m not interested in romantic relationships. It was hard for us for a while, but we’re happy with our relationship now, and I’m happy he found someone who can love him in ways I can’t.”

Oikawa frowned. The way Daichi was talking made it clear this wasn’t a casual thing. He watched them more skeptically this time, the way he analyzes players in a volleyball game. How relaxed Iwaizumi’s posture was. Suga’s flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes. Iwaizumi’s hand under the table, rubbing gentle circles into the skin peeking out from his shoe. The way they leaned in toward each other as they spoke.

They really cared about each other.

Oikawa sighed, leaning back after stuffing a large bite of his tiramisu into his mouth. When he was done chewing he asked quietly, “Why wouldn’t Iwa-chan tell me?”

“Maybe because he thought you’d do something invasive like try to spy on one of his dates or interrogate Suga,” Daichi replied with a smirk.

“Mean, Dai-chan.”


	7. TanaSuga Sick Fic- “Go on without me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tanaka is a good boy.

It was normal for Suga to receive no answer when he knocked on Tanaka’s apartment door in the morning. Knocking was more of a warning anyway, since he had his own key. It was normal for Suga to let himself in and see Tanaka still in bed. Most of the reason why Suga stopped by every morning was because knew Tanaka couldn’t motivate himself enough to make it to his 9:30am class on time.

It wasn’t normal for Suga to walk into Tanaka’s room and see him tossing and turning, grumbling and groaning to himself.

“Ryuu?” Suga called his name as he walked over to his bed and knelt down. From here he could see Tanaka’s flushed and sweaty appearance.

Tanaka turned to him with a pathetic look on his face. “Go on without me. I-If I don’t make it through, I want you to move on. I kn-know you can find love again.”

Suga smiled and got up, leaving the room and moving down the hallway. Shocked, Tanaka sat up as much as he could, listening for the front door. He said  _ if _ he didn’t make it through! He’s still here! His fears were put to rest when Suga quickly returned with a few things from the bathroom.

“Shirt off, please,” Suga prompts while dunking a hand towel into a small tub of water. After Tanaka complies, Suga starts wiping down his torso, the cold water making him shiver, but also refreshing him.

Suga puts the used towel aside and grabs a smaller one. He wrings out the water and lays it gently over Tanaka’s forehead. “I’ll email your professors and I’ll get someone to cover my shift at the library.”

“Suga, you don’t have to…”

Suga tapped his nose, probably a little harder than he meant to, and replies, “Sorry, this is non-negotiable. You get Nurse Suga today.”

Tanaka is quiet for a moment as he let himself sink back into his bed. “...Does that include a matching outfit?”

“That’s for after you’re better,” Suga says with with a wink. “Now try to sleep and I’ll go make you some porridge.”

Tanaka smiles, finding it infinitely easier to rest knowing Suga is by his side.


	8. Konnair/Vessery - “How dare you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS THE RAREST OF RAREPAIRS. Dorset Konnair is an a-wing pilot that is shown a handful of times in the X-wing Wraith Squadron Books. Broak Vessery is in exactly one book (X-wing: Isard's Revenge). BUT I LOVE BOTH OF THEM.

“How dare you.”

Former Colonel Broak Vessery looked up from fastening his jumpsuit. He didn’t recognize the being speaking to him, but he couldn’t say he was surprised.

“How dare you show up here as if you didn’t work for a demon like Iceheart! How many of my friends have died at your hands? How many innocent people have you slaughtered?”

Broak stayed quiet, knowing anything he said would make no difference. 

Isard - the real one - had trusted him implicitly, but after spending time with the Rogues, he couldn’t continue. With Admiral Pellaeon’s official denunciation of Isard, Broak felt like he only had one course of action to ease his conscious. Broak had always been loyal to the Empire, but the Empire was now nothing, and he felt free to do what he thought was right.

After defecting, he expected this sort of visceral reaction from members of the New Republic. To be honest, he expected much worse than being chewed out by pilots. He assumed he’d be in a jail cell for the rest of his life, maybe a nice one if the information he offered was valuable enough to Republic Intelligence. 

Thanks to good words from Wedge and other members of Rogue Squadron, he had been shown mercy. After over a year of tests, exams, traps, and surveillance, they offered Broak a position in flight command. He had been kicked back down to flight officer, but it hadn’t wounded his pride. For the opportunity to stay flying, he could put up with no rank and people taking their rage out on him.

If he was being truthful with himself, he knew he deserved it.

A voice to his left rang out, “Stand down, Karceil.”

“But-”

“That’s an order, lieutenant.”

She frowned and marched away, throwing one last venomous look over her shoulder at Broak. He didn’t see it, though, his focus on the newcomer. She wore a navy blue flight suit and had a starburst tattoo over one eye. She held herself with a poise someone only learns after flying through hell and coming out alive on the other side. Broak instantly admired her.

She held her hand out to him in greeting. “Colonel Dorset Konnair, leader of Polearm Squadron.”

“Flight Officer Broak Vessery,” he replied as he shook her hand. “Polearm Squadron’s flying against in their last altercation with  _ Iron Fist _ was truly impressive.”

Dorset smiled proudly. “You’ve been doing your homework.”

Broak only nodded in response.

“I’ve been doing mine too,” she said with a smirk. “Wedge sent me some footage of those TIE Defenders. With the right training, I think you could handle an a-wing.”

Broak was shocked. He assumed he’d be shunted to a y-wing like the remedial pilots. Without hyperdrives, a-wings weren’t as versatile as x-wings, but they were fast, nimble, and deadly. Why would a chance like this be given to him?

Dorset must have sensed his confusion. “Listen, I’m not going to pretend like you weren’t working for Isard, but I also know you’re not responsible for every bad thing that happened out there. You’re here now because you want to make up for some of that, but you can’t do that without being given the chance.”

They locked eyes as she gestured down the hall toward the flight simulators. “So, here’s your chance. Are you going to take it?”

For the first time since training the Rogues, Broak felt himself smiling.

 


	9. Konnair/Vessery - “This is probably a bad time, but marry me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS THE RAREST OF RAREPAIRS. Dorset Konnair is an a-wing pilot that is shown a handful of times in the X-wing Wraith Squadron Books. Broak Vessery is in exactly one book (X-wing: Isard's Revenge). BUT I LOVE BOTH OF THEM.

Polearm squadron was outnumbered three to one, trying to hold off the TIEs until the Rogues and the rest of General Teuila Ackbar’s fleet arrived. They were every bit as deadly and well trained as the Rogues, but odds like that were never in anyone’s favor.

They had been at it non-stop for almost a year, attempting to take down another warlord wanting to break apart the New Republic. Everyone was exhausted, but with the in sight pushed the pilots to survive until the finish line.

With the fight close to being behind them, Colonel Dorset Konnair wanted to move forward. She didn’t bother switching to private comms before asking, “This is probably a bad time, but marry me?”

“You’re right,” Broak Vessery replied, “This is a bad time.”

Dorset’s laughter chimed over the comms. If she wasn’t Polearm leader, she would’ve been scolded by a commanding officer for not keeping her head in the battle.

“That wasn’t a yes, Vessery!”

“It wasn’t a no, either.”

Broak smiled to himself and shook his head. Joining the squadron had been shaky at first. The rest of the squadron respected Dorset enough to accept her choice, but he spent a long time proving himself to be competent and trustworthy. A year and many battles later, Broak was one of them; any member of the squadron ready to fly into danger for him or jump to his defense when a snide remark about his Imperial past gets made in a pilot tapcafe. 

He would do the same for them in a heartbeat. It wasn’t about duty or loyalty anymore, it was for family.

“If we get out of this alive, I’ll marry you, but I have two conditions,” Broak said.

“Okay, shoot,” Dorset replied as she vaped another TIE.

Broak smiled at her well placed kill. “One, we tell your dads in person. This isn’t something to be done over holo. Two, we only do things that make us happy. No pomp just because it’s tradition, there was enough of that in the Empire.”

“Of course,” Dorset agreed as she dodged a piece of squint debris. “I have a request as well. I want Admiral Ackbar to be be the ceremony master.”

“I don’t know what a ceremony master does, but that’s fine. I agree to terms.”

“Wow you two are so romantic,” polearm seven said sarcastically. 

Polearm three giggled. “Vessery took out three TIEs on Leader’s tail, that’s pretty romantic.”

“We’ll be romantic later at the engagement party back on  _ Mon Melosi _ ,” Dorset chided. “I’ll have Fivesee break out the good stuff, so you all better stay sharp and stay alive!”

A chorus of whoops and hollers rang over the comms as more TIE fighters flashed out of existence.

  
  



	10. Jess/Rose - “Before I do this, I need you to know that I have always loved you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written before TLJ came out, BUT I STAND BY IT.

Finn’s crash landing in the Resistance, and Poe’s subsequent reaction, caused change to ripple throughout the base. They made it acceptable for people to romance each other, rather than pushing their feelings deep inside.

No one’s fool enough to believe there aren’t entanglements going on throughout the base, but they were casual. Trysts were born out of a need, not a choice. Relationships could be powerful motivators, but they came with a heavy weight.

Pilots died faster than anyone else in the Resistance. Most of them seriously injured within three missions, grounded within seven, and considered a miracle if they lasted through twelve. 

If their leader, the most devote pilot in the Resistance, allowed himself to get attached to someone else, it was okay for the rest of them, too.

Leaving the general safety of the base meant Rose had to say something now or she might never be able to tell her how she feels. They’ve spent years together, working together as much as they could. 

Rose learned to love her completely throughout the years. How stubborn she is, how bad she smells coming out of the cockpit after a long flight, the way she argues with her astromech.

The tight hugs when Rose got her x-wing back in peak condition, the soft smiles when she has a moment to just breathe, her laughter ringing through the hanger bay.

It’s Rose’s chance to be selfish for once. Do something for herself - not her parents, not her sister, not for the Resistance. Rose isn’t one for regrets.

She races down the hall.

Rose arrives at a familiar x-wing, panting. After taking a few moments to breathe, she straightened and looks directly into Jessika Pava’s eyes. “Before I do this, I need you to know that I have always loved you.”

  
  
  
  



	11. Baze/Chirrut Bakery AU - “Go on, tell me. Tell me you don’t love me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Baze thinks about being a baker, that is canon (read Guardians of the Whills if you haven't already!).

 

Chirrut burst through the backdoor of the kitchen, a heavy cart trailing behind him. He called out for his partner, “Baze! I’m back!”

“Took you long enough,” Baze growled.

Chirrut just smiled as he wheeled his treasures over to him. “I got some amazing deals!”

“Did you get what was on the list?” Baze asked, immediately suspicious.

“Everything that was necessary.”

Baze knew what that meant. It was a fancy and evasive way of saying ‘no.’ 

“Chirrut,” Baze could scold him with just his name.

Chirrut frowned, but didn’t back down. “You need to liven up the menu! Add new flavors! Experiment a little! Your customers are getting bored.”

“My customers are happy. If they weren’t, they wouldn’t come back.”

Chirrut ignored him and lifted a crate onto the table. “I’m telling you, Baze, there’s plenty of good, new things to try.”

Baze stared at the thirty pounds of taro root. “What the hell am I going to do with this, Chirrut? We’ve never offered-”

Chirrut cut Baze off before he could complain more, “I got everything for fifty percent of what we usually spend on supply runs.”

Baze paused. On good days they would save fifteen percent, never more than twenty. Maybe there was merit in a rotating menu.

The silence let Chirrut know he won. He grinned and taunted Baze, “Go on, tell me. Tell me you don’t love me.”

Baze stayed silent, picking up a piece of taro and running through the recipes in his head. There was a taro mont blanc idea he wanted to try. 

“Baze Malbus!”

Baze chuckled at the irritation Chirrut’s voice. It was usually the other way around, and Baze wanted to relish it while he could.

“I love you, Chirrut. Thank you for picking up supplies.”

Chirrut huffed and sat down on the stool at the end of the workbench. He couldn’t help the pleased tone as he replied, “That’s more like it.”

 


	12. Baze/Chirrut - “We’ll finish it the same way we started it…together.”

There wasn’t much time. Cassian and his crew were loading up with weapons and ammunition while Jyn and Bodhi went through pre-flight checks. It was actually best for Chirrut and Baze to stay out of the way, to at least try to be inconspicuous.

Chirrut had led them over to an opening in the temple facing out toward the thick forest of massassi trees. He took a deep breath, inhaling the spicy scent of the planet and its life, pushing out the tang of metal and sweat. They had been on Jedha for what seemed like forever, a planet dying and desperate. On Yavin Four, Chirrut’s chest felt like it was vibrating with life.

“The Force is strong here.”

Baze glanced over at Chirrut, opening his mouth to rebuke, but stopped when he saw his face. There was a look of pure contentment, one Baze hadn’t seen since before the Guardians had been broken apart. They may be constantly antagonizing each other, but Baze would not deprive Chirrut of a true moment of peace. They had so little of them over the last few years.

With the way the last day had gone, and with a particularly grim future hurtling toward them, Baze figured he had nothing to lose. Maybe at this moment there was no harm in letting his guard down just a centimeter. 

Maybe Baze Malbus could pray again, and not feel like nothing in the entire universe was listening.

Closing his eyes and letting his shoulders relax, Baze inhaled deeply. He thought he could feel it, the gentle hum of the jungle accented and crescendoed with activity from the creatures running through the trees or along the forest floor. Even the temple they were standing in seemed to be infused with it, currents of the Force laced throughout the stone.

Baze grit his teeth. It had been too long since he opened himself like this, and it was almost overwhelming. His natural reaction was to be angry - where was this on Jedha? Where was the Force when  _ they _ needed it? The Force was about balance, how could something that could destroy an entire city in minutes be allowed in a balanced universe?

Next to him, Chirrut shivered, tilting his head toward Baze to observe him. He couldn’t stop the gentle smile on his face. Baze Malbus, once the most devoted of them all, was praying again.

_ Finally. _

Baze breathed through his rage, releasing it into the air like he had been taught to do. He had so much of it, weighing on him more than the beast of a gun he wore. It wasn’t completely gone, it never was, but now it was at a low simmer rather than boiling over. He felt stronger, calmer, focused. He knew they would accomplish what they set out to do.

The connection Baze was feeling may only exist because he felt Chirrut’s reaction to the planet, but wasn’t that the Force working too? From the moment they met, they had been each other’s guiding lights. Whenever Baze had meditated, he always found Chirrut in the Force.

“I think this may be our last adventure,” Chirrut whispered, reaching over to lace his fingers through Baze’s.

“If it is, we’ll finish it the same way we started it,” Baze said, squeezing Chirrut’s hand. “Together.”


	13. StormPilot - “Is that my shirt?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written before TLJ.

“I’m sorry about your x-wing,” Finn said, sitting down next to Poe on his bed.

“It’s alright,” Finn felt Poe lean more into his space, “BB-8 wasn’t in there when it blew, all of Black Squadron made it out. It’s just a ship; I lost one on Jakku too.”

Finn nudged his elbow against Poe’s, which was even closer now. “For the best pilot in the Resistance you sure do lose a lot of ships.”

“What can I say, I’m wild,” Poe responded, his cheek now pressed against Finn’s shoulder.

Finn’s breathing slowed to match the puffs he felt against his shoulder. He had never just sat like this. There was always an order to fulfill, a mission to carry out, training to do. There was always so much noise, but here in Poe’s room it was just them.

Through half lidded eyes, Finn looked around the room. Stacks of datacards, a pile of fine tools (probably for fine tuning BB-8), Poe’s pilot jumpsuit in a heap by the refresher. He did his best to try to catch a glimpse of Poe through his peripheral vision, but the way they were angled, he could really only see his curls and the black shirt he had on.

Something was odd, though, and Finn shifted so he could put his arm around Poe. Running his hand down the shirt over Poe’s spine, he felt the haphazard stitching, and knew it matched a new scar he carried.

“Is that my shirt?”

Poe tensed, hiding his face even more from Finn, but he could see the red tint to his ears. “Yes. I fixed it up, the jacket too. I didn’t have time to grab everything from the base, and it’s surprisingly comfortable. I’ll wash it and get it back to you later.”

“Keep it,” Finn said. “It suits you.”

Finn swore he could feel the heat from Poe’s face through his borrowed medical scrubs. “Can I still keep the jacket?”   


“Of course, Finn. It’s yours.”

They resolved to stay that way together until one of them was beckoned for duty. Before Finn met Poe, he never knew what being calm felt like.


	14. StormPilot Part 1 - “Is… is that even possible? Like, can we do this?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written before TLJ

Finn had never snuck out before. Well, besides that whole defecting and running from the First Order thing, but that was completely different. He had never left the barracks after lights out, never even returned to the base late when they were on leave. He was a proper soldier, good at obeying rules.

When Poe showed up at the door to his room halfway through the night, he was immediately alarmed. Was it the first order? Had they heard from Rey? What happened? But it was just Poe, flight suit halfway on, sleeves tied around the waist, and a large bag at his side. Finn was supposed to be recovering, but Poe insisted he had healed enough, and the best way to recover was for him to get out and move.

Finn was excited when he took Poe’s outstretched hand. Well, excited  _ and _ a little scared.

They did their best to stay quiet as snuck through the base. It was unnecessary, the only ones out besides them were some droids who paid no attention to them, no doubt already unimpressed with the antics of the fleshy beings around them.

Finn vaguely recognized his surroundings. He had only been conscious on the base for a short time, but they were close to the docking bay and the on-duty pilot’s quarters. 

Poe opened the doors to a large, but cramped room. He threw his bag onto the ground and turned to Finn with his arms spread. “Ta da!”

Finn knew what it was. It was different from what he had seen on Starkiller Base. It looked older, larger, and longer in shape, but it was definitely a pilot’s training simulator. 

Finn gaped at it. Poe wanted to train him in an x-wing, wanted to fly with him. Finn wanted this, wanted to be a pilot long before he left the First Order, but was still a couple deployments away from the opportunity to train in a TIE.

Now that he was looking his dream in the face, in a place he never thought he’d be, he couldn’t believe it. 

“Is… is that even possible? Like, can we do this?” Finn asked, still in shock.

“Of course we can,” Poe answered easily, booting up the machine. “Surprisingly we have enough ships, just not enough people to fill them. You were pretty good on the guns, I’m sure you’ll be make ace in no time.”

“No, not that,” Finn replied in a voice barely above a whisper, “I mean, I could really  _ join _ the Resistance? Be a pilot?”

Poe turned and looked at him in confusion. He didn’t understand where the disbelief was coming from. 

“I am, I  _ was _ , a stormtrooper. We’re bred and trained to be relentlessly loyal to the First Order. You really think they could trust me?”

It had never occured to Poe to do anything but trust Finn. He saw it in his eyes the moment they met. Finn was genuine, motivated, and honest. If the Resistance turned its back on Finn, then Poe wasn’t sure he could trust the Resistance.

Poe reached out, squeezing Finn’s shoulder then letting his hand rest firmly around his bicep. “Finn, you’re already part of the Resistance. You’re one of us.”

Finn didn’t fight the wide grin that broke across his face. “Then let’s get started!”

Poe gave his arm one more squeeze before he turned back to the machine to get the settings correct. As he moved, a glint of light caught Finn’s attention. He noticed the chain hanging around Poe’s neck. His eyes followed it down over his collarbone to see a gold ring resting against his chest. 

Finn could barely pay attention to the rest of the lesson.


	15. StormPilot Part 2 - “I feel like I’m going to die.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written before TLJ

“I feel like I’m going to die,” Finn groaned as he flopped onto Rose’s bunk.

Rose hadn’t looked up from her workbench, but she smiled, knowing he was going to start talking about Poe. On the outside Finn appeared to be a quiet and thoughtful guy, which he certainly was, but only his friends knew how dramatic he could be. He felt everything so intensely because it was the first time he experienced a lot of these things. 

She continued tinkering as she asked, “What is it this time? Did Poe give you more of his clothes? Did your fingers brush as he passed you the jug of caf? Did he-”

“He took me to the simulators,” Finn answered.

Rose bit back a dirty joke.

“He… He wants to teach me how to fly.”

Rose gave him a quick smile over her shoulder before looking back at the engine piece in her hands. “That’s awesome, Finn! You’ve been wanting to learn, and having Poe teach you? That’s perfect! Two mynocks with one blaster bolt!”

“There’s a ring around his neck, Rose,” Finn whispered. “It looks like a promise ring.”

That was enough for Rose to give all her attention to Finn. She put her tools down and flipped around in her seat to face him. “It

“A promise ring… I couldn’t get a close look, but there’s an inscription on it. I’ve never seen one in real life, but I know what they look like from holos and stuff,” Finn explained.

Rose knew a lot of pilots who did that, wear a ring around their necks because they weren’t allowed to have them on their fingers or wrists in case of injury. If Poe wore one… well, it didn’t mean he wasn’t available - it could’ve been a keepsake from someone he lost, but it was significant.

She watched Finn. His eyes cast down on the floor, fingers knotting with each other. He was in distress and she couldn’t blame him, but she also wasn’t surprised. Finn and Poe hadn’t known each other long, haven’t had the free time to get to know much about each other. It was mostly an innate trust, an inexplicable bond that pulled them together. She was sure that now, more than ever before, Finn had a hundred questions he wanted to know answers to.

“You should ask him,” Rose prompted.

Finn’s head shot up and he locked eyes with her. “I-I can’t.”

“You can and you will,” Rose insisted. “He’s always been up front with you, right? You trust him, don’t you?”

Finn nodded.

“Then show him he can trust you, too. Be honest. Us Resistance types don’t like being given the runaround.” She smiled, hoping she was being encouraging.

Finn, forced a smile in return, a little of the weight lifted off his shoulders. Poe was always considerate of him, even if the ring was a sensitive subject, he believed Poe would be gentle.

“I’ll go ask him now. He should be done with his briefing.”

Not able to hold herself back a second time, Rose opened her mouth, but the joke was drowned out by the base’s alarms.


	16. StormPilot Part 3 - "I need you to do one thing for me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written before TLJ

“I need you to do one thing for me.”

“Anything,” Finn replied. Was that desperate? It sounded kind of desperate, but it was honest.

Poe reached around the back of his neck and unclasped the chain around his neck.

“This was my mother’s wedding ring,” Poe explained.

Finn stared at it. The little gold band caused him so much heartache since he first saw it. He didn’t once consider it was a family heirloom, he only assumed Poe had someone special already. Why wouldn’t he? He’s the best man Finn ever met.

“I want you to have it.”

Finn’s jaw dropped in shock. “But it’s your mother’s! You can’t give something that important away.”

Poe chuckled and looked at the ring. “My dad gave it to me when I left home to join the academy. He told me one day I was going to meet someone as important to me as mom was to him. When I did, this ring would be theirs.”

Finn swallowed the lump in his throat. He blinked back tears as Poe took his hand, placing the ring and chain in his palm and closed his fingers around it. Poe wrapped both of his hands around Finn’s fist.

“It’s yours,” he said softly, squeezing his hand and letting go.

Finn knew what it meant. 

_ ‘I’m yours.’ _

Finn took a deep breath and hooked the chain around his neck, slipping the ring under his shirt.

“I’ll take good care of it,” he promised.

_ ‘I’ll take good care of you.’ _

 


	17. Sheith Part 1 - “How is leaving so easy for you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for the end of season 4. Sorry, Sheith is my ANGST ship.

“How is leaving so easy for you?”

Keith froze, his entire body tight and ready to strike. He spoke in a voice barely above a whisper. “What did you say?”

Lance crossed his arms over his chest. “Couldn’t hear through your mullet? I said how is leaving so easy-”   
The rest of the question was knocked out of him, Keith spinning around and on him in a flash. He grabbed Lance by the collar and threw him against the hallway wall, keeping him pinned with his grip.

“Easy?!” Keith’s voice was dripping in barely restrained rage. “You think it’s  _ easy _ for me?”

Lance had never seen Keith like this. Not even in the fiercest battle had Keith’s anger been as electric. He was glad Keith had him by the jacket, convinced if their skin touched he’d come away burned.

“Which part, Lance? Which part exactly is so easy? Leaving the only reminders of Earth I have? Keeping up with highly trained assassins who may or may not know a secret about my mother?”

Keith’s grip loosened, but Lance stayed where he was against the wall. He couldn’t look away, even as he felt Keith shaking.

“Is the easy part knowing I don’t have a place in Voltron anymore, that maybe I never really did? Or maybe you think it’s easy for me to be ready to die at moment’s notice?!”

The fire in Keith’s eyes turned into a smolder, sadness and pain taking over the anger.

“What are you talking about, Keith?” Lance asked. He knew the Blade of Mamora were enthusiastic, but it’s not like they were sending Keith on anything more dangerous than their Voltron missions.

“The Blade isn’t like Voltron, Lance. We have rules.” Keith finally let go and turned away, refusing to let Lance see the tears in his eyes. “‘Knowledge or Death,’ that’s what they live by. That’s what they taught me. 

“At Naxzela… When the entire solar system was in trouble, when Voltron was in trouble, and we couldn’t get through those shields…”

Lance wished he hadn’t asked. Wished he could’ve held his tongue or expressed how much he didn’t want Keith to leave in some other way. He didn’t want to hear what he knew Keith was about to say.

“There was only one option,” Keith explained. “If I went full speed, I knew I’d take down the shields and it’d be a direct hit to the ship. If Lotor hadn’t been there…”

Keith’s shoulders slumped. Suddenly he was very tired, and he just wanted to get back to his transport and force himself into a dreamless sleep. It was never his intention to tell them about what could’ve happened. It didn’t matter, Lotor had taken the shields out and saved the day. No one needed to know how he had said goodbye.

Looking over his shoulder, Keith saw Lance still hadn’t moved. His eyes were glossy, like tears were ready to spill over at a moment’s notice. He hadn’t meant to unload on Lance, and now he had to burden him further.

“Please, Lance…” Keith whispered his plea, “Don’t tell Shiro.”

With the slightest nod from Lance, Keith resumed his march toward the docking bay.


	18. Sheith Part 2 - “You wanna know the last thing I thought of? You. I thought of you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers for the end of season 4. Sorry, Sheith is my ANGST ship.

 

Lance knew he was in for it. Keith had only ever seriously asked him for one thing and he blew it. He tried, he really tried, even made it two weeks with his secret. But Shiro knew he was hiding something, and Lance would like to challenge anyone to keep their secrets when cornered by their leader. All Shiro had to do was say his name while crossing his arms over his chest and Lance told him everything.

Keith was going to kick his ass.

Now Lance was running, trying to get to the docking bay before Shiro did so he could at least come clean before Shiro could do it for him. He knew he couldn’t avoid punishment, but at least his honesty would mean Keith would be lenient, right?

When the doors to the bay opened, Lance saw he was already too late. How did Shiro beat him here? He was still in the control room when Lance had left. Were there secret passages in the castle? Lance made a mental note to get Pidge and Matt help him find out. Lance stepped backward, allowing the doors to close in front of him. Shiro was already there, and this was one fight Lance wanted no part of.

 

-

 

Keith’s eyebrows raised in surprise as he saw Shiro waiting for him. He could tell something was wrong. Shiro was still as a statue, his eyes boring into Keith with every step he took forward. Suddenly on his guard, Keith stopped on the ramp so he could stay eye level with Shiro. Whatever he was about to say, the idea of Shiro towering over him made him feel vulnerable.

“Never again, Keith,” Shiro ground out.

Keith tilted his head in confusion.

“I don’t care whatever the Blade of Mamora has been indoctorating you with, but you’re never going to do something so foolish again.”

Oh. 

Honestly, Keith tried to be surprised, but he had a feeling Lance wouldn’t be able to keep his secret forever. It was unfair to ask Lance in the first place, but a man could hope.

At Keith’s lack of a reaction, Shiro continued, “How could you even think of doing something like that Keith? You’re part of Voltron! You’ve been invaluable to us and the Blade, we need you to keep fighting Zarkon. I know I told you I support this training of yours, but if it’s going to make you selfish-”

Anything Shiro said after that wasn’t heard by Keith. Foolish he could understand, but how dare Shiro call him selfish.

“Don’t you have anything to say for yourself, Keith?”

Keith locked eyes at Shiro, not bothering to wipe away the tears he knew were there. He saw the surprise in Shiro’s face, how his demeanor softened instantly in response to Keith’s distress.

“I didn’t do it because I’ve been brainwashed into accepting suicide missions. I did it for you, for all of you. I was on the comm, Shiro, I heard everything, all of the cries and desperate pleas for help. We were out of time and out of ideas, and I was going to do the one thing I could do to save you.”

“Keith, there’s always another way…”

“The one in a million shot happened, Shiro! Lotor showed up and saved the day and now he’s working with us to take down his father. It was a miracle, but you don’t get an infinite amount of those.

“I don’t care if you’re mad at me. If you yell at me in front of everyone. If you tell me never to come back,” Keith’s voice cracked, heart already breaking at the prospect of never seeing them again. “But I’ll always do  _ whatever _ I have to do to make sure you and everyone else are safe.”

Shiro lowered his gaze to the floor, ashamed of his outburst. He was just so angry, he wanted to make sure Keith would never do something like that again.

“But who will protect you?” Shiro asked in a soft voice. “If everyone in the Blade is ready to die for the cause, who is going to make sure you survive? You’re out there alone and how can I know that you’re-”

Shiro stopped short as he felt Keith’s gloved hand cup his cheek. “I’m not alone, Shiro. You told me that when I left, didn’t you?”

Shiro leaned into the touch, wrapping his hand around Keith’s wrist to make sure he couldn’t pull away. Keith surprised him by closing the distance between them, his free arm going around Shiro’s waist. Letting go of Keith’s wrist, Shiro wrapped his arms around him, his face pressed against Keith’s hair.

“You wanna know the last thing I thought of?” Keith felt Shiro nod. “You. I thought of you. I wanted the last thing I saw to be your smile.”

Shiro’s hold tightened. How could he let Keith go again after hearing that? He knows he’ll have to, but he hates it. He can only think of one thing to say, as much of a promise as he can make.

“It will be, Keith, but not for a long time from now.”


	19. Sheith Garrison AU - “This isn’t working.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, my Keith is a crier.

Shiro sighed and put down his book. Rubbing the bridge of his nose he quietly said, “This isn’t working.”

Keith tensed at the tone of Shiro’s voice. It was a defeated, sad sentence. Was this it? Did the weight of their secret kind-of relationship finally wear down Shiro? It wasn’t that Keith liked having to hide the truth, but he was committed to seeing it through. It wouldn’t always be like this, just until Keith was no longer a cadet. He’d do anything if it meant he could be with Shiro.

“What isn’t working?” Keith asked, pretending -  _ hoping _ \- Shiro was talking about a flight problem, not about them.

Shiro turned toward him, taking the tablet pen out of Keith’s hand and forcing eye contact. “This. Us. Sneaking around. Making excuses when someone sees us together. I can’t do it anymore, Keith.”

Keith clenched his jaw, trying to stop himself from an outburst he knew he’d regret. How could Shiro do this? They had talked about it for weeks before they got together, they both knew what it would be like and agreed it was worth it. 

Still silent, Keith looked away, letting the tears spill down his cheeks. There was nothing he could say; Shiro was so stubborn he’d never change his mind once he decided. How long had Shiro felt this way? How long had he wanted to break up, but just felt too bad about it to tell him?

No matter what the circumstances, Keith feels awful. He can’t remember being this mad or this upset in his life. Had their relationship been hurting Shiro this much? How terrible of a boyfriend was he to not to notice? If Shiro would be better off without him, then Keith didn’t have a choice about letting go.

Shiro stared in shock. He ran this scenario a hundred times in his head; prepared himself for Keith yelling at him, punching him, storming out of the room. Shiro didn’t know how to handle a quiet, crying Keith. A Keith more vulnerable than Shiro had ever seen him, even in their most private and unguarded moments.

He reached forward to take Keith’s hands, but Keith flinched at the touch, pulling them out of his grasp. Shiro had been so sure this was the right thing to do, but doubt welled up in his gut watching Keith’s reaction.

“You deserve better than me, Keith. You deserve someone who can brag about how great you are to all of their friends. Someone who could hold your hand or hug you in public. Someone who won’t be gone for a whole year…”

“I’ll never meet anyone better than you, Shiro,” Keith said, his voice strained and sincere. “But if this is what you want, I’m not going to fight you. Both of us have to want it if it’s going to work.”

Shiro couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Keith always fought. He was never satisfied except with the best possible outcome. He would struggle and bargain and work harder than anyone else to get what he wanted. It wasn’t supposed to be this easy. This was obviously not what Keith wanted. He was pushing aside his own feelings, something he would never do except for Shiro.

With only silence stretching between them, Keith sniffled and wiped his cheeks before packing up his things. He avoided looking at Shiro, not sure if he was strong enough to see whatever expression was on his face. Keith hesitated by the door before shutting his eyes and walking out.

Hearing the door slide shut burst the bubble of panic inside Shiro’s chest. This wasn’t what he wanted. Of course he wanted to be with Keith, but he thought he was doing the right thing by letting him go. He was just trying to think about Keith’s future, save him the pain of waiting around during the Kerberos mission. But the amount of hurt he saw in Keith now, the amount of pain Shiro felt, he knew he was wrong.

Shiro’s chair clattered to the ground as he jumped up and ran after Keith.


	20. Keitor Fake Dating AU Part 1 - “Hold my hand dammit, we gotta make this look convincing!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, this ship happened and I fell for it hard.

 

Keith honestly doesn’t know how he ended up in this gaudy, overpriced sportscar. One minute he was leaving the locker room after practice, ready to spend a weekend studying and icing his knee, and the next minute he was being ushered into clothes that didn’t suit him (but surprisingly fit him), then into the parking lot. 

Well, he  _ does _ know, but he still can’t understand why he agreed to this.

Actually… he knows that too. It’s because he’s flat broke and Lotor offered him enough cash to cover his expenses for the next five months.

Who would’ve thought Lotor, Prince of Daibazaal University, would’ve needed to pay for company.

Now, don’t be weird about it (even though that was Keith’s initial reaction too). Apparently poster boy Lotor has a bad home life. He doesn’t get along with his parents, but they ordered him to come home for a visit. They had spent several months trying to set Lotor up with children of their business partners and other socialites, attempting to secure lucrative connections.

Lotor would have none of that, so he lied about being in a relationship. Claiming he found the love of his life. He assumed they would be so distraught they would never want to know what kind of no good commoner Lotor had chosen as a partner, but he was wrong.

Unfortunately Lotor couldn’t turn to any of his friends or associates. Either his parents already knew of them, or they wouldn’t be believable. He had to enlist someone new. He already had that someone in mind.

Keith had always intrigued him. He was talented athletically and academically; handsome enough to attract the attention of a wide variety of people on campus. Yet, he showed no interested in anyone or anything, really. The position of captain on the soccer team was begrudgingly accepted despite clearly being the best player and a competent leader. He wore clothes that dearly needed to be replaced and never changed his outdated haircut. But there was something about Keith causing Lotor’s attention to be glued to him whenever he was around. It was infuriating and intoxicating, and now he had an opportunity to try to figure it out.

So he approached Keith with an offer. He’d come with Lotor for a weekend with his family pretending to be his boyfriend. In return, Keith would be handsomely paid for his time and effort. There was no one else he could ask, he hinged it all on Keith, going so far as to even fill a bag with more acceptable clothing for the weekend. It was a ludicrous idea, something only a desperate person would suggest.

Thank goodness Keith was just as desperate for money.

They spent the three hour car ride in stilted conversation. Not only did he have to give Keith all of the information he should know about him in such a short time, but he had to pry any information out of Keith. It wasn’t until Lotor threatened non-payment if they were found out that Keith started cooperating. By the time they arrived at the Galra family home, they were both stressed and annoyed.

Keith’s jaw dropped slightly seeing the mansion. He’d never seen a place like this in real life, much less actually entered one. He had been confident he could act well enough, but now he had doubts.

“They don’t expect you to be sophisticated,” Lotor assured Keith, seeing his hesitation. “Actually, they probably expect me to waltz in with nothing short of a barbarian.”

“If that’s what they thought, then I could’ve stayed in my own clothes.” 

Keith smirked as he got out of the car. It took Lotor a second to notice the uptick of his pulse and will it back down. He took a deep breath before he got out, rolling his shoulders to alleviate his nerves. It didn’t work that well, but it would have to do for now. He shut his door and started toward the house.

“What about our bags?” Keith asked.

Lotor gave him a pointed look over his shoulder.

“Oh, right, rich people are lazy as shit.” Keith shut his door a little harder than he had to and followed Lotor up the long stone path.

When they were close enough to see the house, the front door opened, impressive vestiages of people went out to wait on the porch. Lotor straightened his back and waved, reaching his free hand over to Keith’s, only to have it knocked away.

“Hold my hand, dammit, we gotta make this look convincing,” Lotor hissed through his fake smile.

Keith resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He reached over and laced his fingers through Lotor’s, moving close enough their hands bumped against their thighs as they walked toward the front door.

Rather than alleviate his worries, the closeness set red alarms blaring in his mind. Even if they successfully fool his parents, Lotor wasn’t sure he would survive this weekend.


	21. Keitor Fake Dating AU Part 2 - “I think I'm in love”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, I hate how much fun I had writing this.

Lotor was up early the morning after they arrived at his family estate. Jogging normally cleared his head and the crisp air should help even more.

Dinner the previous night had not gone as expected. On all fronts.

Keith had played along brilliantly. Sure, he griped and moped the entire car ride there, but as soon as they turned to see Lotor’s parents waiting for them, he embraced his role as boyfriend. He easily used the information Lotor shared to weave stories of their meeting, their friendship, and then their blossoming romance. They were all crafted so well, even Lotor was starting to forget they didn’t like each other.

Even more surprising than Keith’s behavior was his parents’ reactions. He expected them to respond to Keith with barely restrained hostility (it was a specialty of their family). 

His father thought well of Keith’s position of captain on the soccer team and his strategies of leadership. His mother nodded in approval at Keith’s double major in organic chemistry and aeronautical engineering. They both sent scolding looks at Lotor when they found out Keith was a scholarship student and had to work full time on the side to pay for his living expenses while maintaining a place on the Dean’s List. 

Lotor knew what they were thinking  _ “he’s doing better than you even though he has nothing.”  _ As if he needed another reminder of how he’ll never live up to his parents’ expectations.

By the time dessert and tea was finished and they turned in for the night, Lotor was appalled that not only did his parents go easy on Keith’s interrogation, but they actually  _ liked  _ him.

It was not good.

With no thought about how they were sharing a bed, Keith fell asleep as soon as the soft sheets and plush pillows. Lotor wanted to shake him awake, tell him off for making him look bad. But Keith looked so peaceful… 

Lotor settled for a scalding hot shower instead. When he finally climbed into bed, he made sure to be as far away from Keith as possible. He still tossed and turned all night, and when the sun started to peek over the horizon, Lotor forced himself up.

The jog wasn’t helping. There were too many questions buzzing in his head and no paths to a solution. Why did his parents like Keith? How is Keith able to keep up with all of the things he needs to do? Why did he never notice how hard Keith was working? Why did he even dislike Keith in the first place? Why was he so mad about all this?

In his distracted state, Lotor didn’t notice the overgrown root right in front of him. He fell hard, his knees and palms slamming into the gravel. All of the worries flew out of his head as he sat back, staring at the damage. He was scraped up and bleeding, but thankfully not too far from the house. He made it to his feet and gingerly walked back.

It was too early for anyone but their cook to be awake, and Lotor made his way to his room without being seen. He assumed Keith would still be asleep, but when he shut the door behind him, he was greeted by a sleepy voice.

“Lotor…?” 

Keith’s eyes widened as he took in Lotor’s state. He jumped up from bed instantly awake and went over to inspect the wounds better.

“Sit,” Keith ordered.

Lotor snarled, “I don’t need your-”

“Sit.”

The commanding tone of Keith’s voice showed if Lotor didn’t do it on his own, he would be made to. He waddled over to a chair and sat down while Keith went into the bathroom and rummaged around through the cabinets. He came back with an armful of supplies, a tub of water, and a washcloth. 

He started with Lotor’s knees and the worst of the bleeding, cleaning them as gently as he could and removing any gravel caught in the wounds. 

“You tore your joggers pretty good…” Keith said quietly.

Lotor shrugged, “I’ll have plenty other pairs.”

The way Keith’s lips pursed into a frown reminded Lotor he probably shouldn’t bring up how much he has. Now that he was thinking about it, Keith had a lot of worn out things. The straps on his backpack and gym bags looked like they had been resewn several times; almost all of his clothes had holes or repairs somewhere on them, or were worn so thin they were shadows of what they once were.

Keith finished bandaging Lotor’s knees and reached out for one of his wrists. He winced at the damage. 

“You’re lucky you didn’t break anything.”

Lotor didn’t respond, just watched as Keith treated his hands even more carefully than his knees. He wondered if Keith helped his teammates when they were injured, and if he treated them with the same gentleness. 

Lotor once thought Keith was all sharp angles and hard edges, but seeing him up close, there was a secret softness about him. 

“I’ll take you shopping today. Whatever, however much you want, it’ll be my treat.”

Keith looked up in surprise. Lotor thought it was cute until Keith’s eyes narrowed. “You’re already paying me, that’s enough.”

“I’m paying you to pretend to be my boyfriend. But I want to say thank you for helping me with this. I really do appreciate it.”

Keith frowned as he thought about it. He usually didn’t like taking handouts, but his cleats were shot and his winter coat was thinner than a hoodie and all of his socks had holes in them. He hated to admit it, but he really needed this.

“I guess… There are a few things I could use… but I didn’t help you so you’d give me stuff.”

“That’s why I said it’s a thank you. Purely gifts to show my gratitude.”

Keith nodded and looked up at Lotor and smiled. “Then that sounds great.”

Lotor really hoped the flushing of his face could be attributed to his injury.

_ “Fuck,”  _ Lotor thought,  _ “I think I’m in love.” _


	22. Free! Gen Trivia Night - "Just pick a damn name already."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was rushed and I don't particularly like it, but shruggie emoticon.

“Just pick a damn name already,” Sousuke growled before finishing his beer. He knew this was a bad idea. He wasn't even going to come until Makoto had offered to buy all of his drinks. Sousuke needed to work on being not so easy to bribe.

The bar was crowded. It was trivia night, which is why they were there in the first place. Trivia was a regular thing for Rin, Haru, and Makoto, but their usual forth was sick that week. They knew Sousuke would be free, and they sent Makoto to ask, knowing Sousuke would be most likely to do a favor for him. 

So Sousuke was already ordering his second beer, sitting cramped on an uncomfortable bar stool, waiting for Rin and Haru to pick a name for their team.

“You guys do this every week, don’t you already have a team name?” he asked.

Makoto smiled in response, “Actually we do change it every week because no one is ever happy with it…”

“Why does it matter, then?”

Rin and Haru stopped their squabbling to glare at him. 

“It matters,” they said in unison. 

Sousuke rolled his eyes and downed half of his beer in one gulp. 

Ever the peacemaker, Makoto held his hands up to calm them. “Why don't we have Sousuke pick since he’s the guest?”

They turned their glare to Makoto.

“I'd rather be called the ‘Mighty Mackerels,’” Rin said.

“Or ‘Shark Bros,’” Haru agreed.

“Those are both terrible,” Sousuke replied.

“I don't hear you giving any ideas!”

“You just said you didn't want me to name the team.”

Makoto forced a smile on his face. “Do you have any ideas, Sousuke?”

Sousuke shrugged. “Don’t you always yell ‘Splash Free’ at each other? Just use that.”

Haru and Rin exchanged surprised glances before Haru hastily wrote it at the top of their answer sheets. Makoto smiled honestly and ordered Sousuke another drink.

 


	23. SouHaru - “You didn’t tell me it was karaoke night.”

Sousuke stopped in his tracks when he saw the set up in Rin and Makoto’s living room. It was his own damn fault, really - he was the one who bought the thing in the first place. Rin had begged him for it, said it could be his birthday, Christmas, and housewarming present. Sousuke had caved and now he regretted it.

“You didn’t tell me it was karaoke night.”

“What’s the matter?” Rin asked. “I know for a fact you don’t have stage fright. Besides, it’s just us.”

Sousuke’s eyes followed Haru’s direct trail to the stereo. He knew what was coming, but he had hoped it would’ve stayed a private thing that only happened in his and Haru’s apartment.

Most of the group was already seated around the makeshift stage, enjoying snacks and drinks. It was originally Ai and Momo’s idea for a big reunion, and Makoto and Rin were happy to host. Their apartment was the biggest, nicest, and closest to the train station. Although part of a complex, it was still more of a stand alone unit, so they could be rowdier than usually acceptable.

Sousuke took a deep breath and accepted his fate. Kicking Nagisa out of his usual plush armchair, Sousuke started with two fingers of whiskey to prepare himself. Haru’s eyes lit up when he found the song he wanted and he quickly plugged it into the machine.

Sousuke knocked back another shot of whiskey.

Grabbing the mic, Haru stood in front, rolling his shoulders and doing a quick shimmy to loosen up. His hips started swaying as “Come on Over (All I Want is You)” by Christina Aguilera floated from the speakers.

This was Rin’s fault, Sousuke thought. He was the one who suggested to Haru listening and singing along to American pop songs would help with his English listening and pronunciation. Haru’s and Rin’s agent was constantly scolding Haru for not being as good at English as Rin was. The number of international interviews was only going to increase with the Olympic season fast approaching.

On the upside, Rin was right. Haru’s skills quickly increased. The downside was Haru dove into the deep end. He became borderline obsessed with American pop music from the late 90s and early 2000s. Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears were regulars in the house, so much so Sousuke knew all the words as well. 

It wouldn’t be so bad if it was just singing, but Haru insisted on  _ dancing _ . Haru knew how to move his body, roll in fluid ways that should be illegal. When Sousuke was around and Haru felt like teasing, almost every song turned into something more risque.

Sousuke did not need Haru to give him a lapdance in front of their oldest friends. But there was a smirk on Haru’s face promising that’s exactly what will happen.

 


	24. SouHaru - “You need to leave. Right now.”

 

As he woke from his drug induced sleep, Sousuke was vaguely aware of the other person in the room. He assumed it was a nurse, checking his levels, doing whatever it was nurses do when their patients were asleep. But the person, whoever it was, wasn’t flitting around his hospital bed like they should’ve been. They were sitting quietly next to him, and that’s how Sousuke knew something was wrong.

He tried rolling over, but too much movement sent a sharp pain across his shoulders. Settling with just turning his head, he blinked hard to focus his vision.

It was Nanase.

Haru wasn’t supposed to be there, wasn’t even supposed to know he was having another surgery. The next time Sousuke saw Rin, he was going to throttle him.

Sousuke bit back a hundred curses. Instead, he snarled, “You need to leave. Right now.”

Haru looked up from his knitting. If he was scared or shocked at Sousuke’s tone, it didn’t show. On his face was a look of mild confusion and concern.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he replied coolly.

“I don’t want you here.”

Haru refrained from rolling his eyes. “It doesn’t matter if you don’t want me here, you need somewhere here for you.”

“But why you?” 

Haru looked down, fiddling with the loops of yarn. “Why can’t it be me, Sousuke?”

The question rendered Sousuke speechless. Why couldn’t it be him? That wasn’t the question he expected. What Sousuke really meant by his question why does Haru even want to be here? Why is Haru wasting his time stuck in a boring hospital room with him? He has dozens of fountains or fish tanks he could be climbing into, but instead he’s here. Why? Since when is he important enough for Haru to give up his freetime to babysit?

Sousuke didn’t get it, so he stayed quiet, letting Haru return to his knitting. The methodical clinking of the needles actually became relaxing after a while and Sousuke could feel himself sinking into the too soft pillows. 

Eyelids already half-closed, Sousuke broke their silence. “Thanks… Haru.”

There was no way for him to know if the smile on Haru’s face was real or if he was already dreaming.

  
  



	25. SouHaru - “Don’t worry about it, I got it.”

Over the sound of running water, Haru couldn’t tell there was an intruder in the apartment. It wasn’t until the buzz of wings was right beside his ear, causing him to jump away from the soapy dishes in the sink. His eyes quickly tracked the source to an unfriendly yellow and black visitor. Haru reached into his apron for his phone, never taking his eyes off of the wasp.

It rang three times before Sousuke answered. “Haru, are you fucking serious? I’m just in the bedroom.”

“Get out here. Now.” Haru hung up, dropping it back into his pocket. Moving slowly, he reached over to grab a spatula. It still had bits of this morning’s mackerel on it, but it’s the best weapon within arm’s reach.

“You know, other couples wake each other with kisses or breakfast, but you have to be different, don’t you?” Sousuke asked as he walked into the kitchen.

“There’s a wasp.”

Sousuke looked at Haru and then followed his eyes to where he was glaring at a cabinet. Perched on the fake wood was, indeed, a wasp. Sousuke opened his mouth to antagonize Haru, but stopped when he saw the serious concern in Haru’s frown.

“Alright. Don’t worry about it, I got it,” Sousuke said.

Haru rolled his eyes, “Whenever you say something like that, you make it worse.”

“You’re the one who called me, Haru.”

Frown deepening, Haru agreed, “Fine. Just take care of it.”

Sousuke gave him a look.

“...Please.”

Sousuke gave a smug grin he knew Haru equally loved and hated. Reaching into the sink, he carefully pulled out a soapy glass. He slowly, carefully, moved toward the wasp until it was within arm’s length.

Haru prepared to make a break for the bathroom. He had breakfast, he could lock himself in there for a good six hours. As clumsy as Sousuke was, that was plenty of time to at least accidentally kill the thing.

Before Haru could finish formulating his escape plan, Sousuke moved, his arm striking out faster than Haru had ever seen it before. The wasp was safely trapped underneath the glass against the cabinet. It was pissed, but it wasn’t going anywhere.

“Is there a thin piece of cardboard or anything?” Sousuke asked.

Haru looked under the sink and pulled out a broken down mochi flour box from recycling and handed it to Sousuke. He watched as Sousuke gracefully slid it under the glass, transferring the wasp from the cabinet down to the counter.

“The soap will kill it,” Sousuke explained, “We’ll leave it there for a few hours and then I’ll throw it away outside.”

The wasp’s movements had already slowed. Haru watched it settle against the glass. That was much, much easier than they thought it would be.

Haru latched onto Sousuke’s wrist and tugged. “Come on,” he said, pulling him back toward the bedroom. “Heroes get rewards.”

Sousuke flashed that stupid grin again.


	26. SouHaru Soulmate AU - “IT’S NOT COMING OFF!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of want to make this into a longer story?
> 
> Warning: mentions of sexy times.

Sousuke hated anything to do with soulmarks and soulmates. It was gross, how couples would stay up until midnight on their twentieth birthdays only to be crushed and break up immediately when their marks didn’t match. Their so-called love obviously meant  _ so much _ to them if some genetic defect could split them apart so easily.

The idea that you belong to somebody was infuriating as well. That someone  _ owned _ you, could claim you were theirs no matter what your feelings were. 

Frankly, it was insulting how much stock people put into the damn marks. Make your own choices, give ‘destiny’ the middle finger, fuck whoever you wanted.

That’s how Sousuke spent the night before his twentieth birthday: a cute girl from the gym riding him in the back of his car until they were both spent and unable to move, then getting railed in the filthy bathroom of his favorite club by a man even stronger than he was. 

The way another stranger’s tongue tickled his abs as they did a body shot off him made him completely ignore the tingling sensation on his wrist. He was tingling pretty much everywhere, thanks to the booze and sex. Why would he notice it anyway? The whole night was devoted to purposefully ignoring it. The only marks he wanted were from the scrape of other people’s teeth, hands that gripped too hard, or fingernails digging in for purchase. 

It wasn’t until Sousuke made a trip to the restroom he noticed anything at all. He saw the dark specks when he turned the faucet on. Panic bubbled into his chest when the soap and hot water didn’t wash them away. He feld, pushing his way through the throng of bodies between the bathroom and the exit. His credit card was still stuck behind the counter, but it wasn’t the first time he’d left the club forgetting to close his tab.

-

Pounding on his door jolted Rin up from the couch. The tv was on, asking if he was still watching the garbage teen series he had been marathoning. The knocking continued, beating enough awareness into Rin’s brain to get up and answer the door.

He opened it without checking the peephole, and Rin raised an eyebrow in judgement. Sousuke looked like a hot mess. Rin sincerely hoped he was smart enough to have taken a taxi to his apartment, that he didn’t leave a trail of property destruction and humiliation in his wake.

Sousuke pushed past him into the living room and paced around the couch. 

“It’s not… Fuck! Rin, it’s not coming off!” Sousuke furiously scrubbed at the mark darkening on his wrist.

Rin grabbed a water bottle and some tylenol from the kitchen. “What?”

“IT’S NOT COMING OFF!” Sousuke shouted, almost punching Rin in the face to show him. 

“It’s not supposed to come off, it’s a soulmark.” Rin grabbed his wrist and inspected it. He instantly knew what it was, causing him to smirk. “You know, this reminds me of-”

“Don’t fucking say it,” Sousuke growled.

Rin rolled his eyes, but the smirk didn’t leave his face. He asked, “What does it matter? I thought you didn’t even believe in this kind of stuff?”

“I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I want a fucking dolphin on my wrist forever. Especially a dolphin that… that…” Sousuke gestured vaguely into the air.

“That looks like Haru’s?” Rin finished for him.

“Yes, I don’t want a fucking mark that matches goddamn Nanase,” Sousuke ground out through gritted teeth.

This was a nightmare. Sure, a lot of people did end up knowing who their soulmark matched up with, but those were people who were looking for love, wanting to have a relationship. Sousuke fell into neither of those categories. He assumed - no, he wanted - to be one of those people with an obscure one, someone who only had a one in a billion chance of meeting the person they matched with.

Rin watched as Sousuke slumped down onto the couch. Adrenaline must be failing him now, giving way to the exhaustion and alcohol weighing down his limbs. He sat down next to Sousuke, handing him what he brought from the kitchen. In a softer voice, he said, “This could be a good thing, you know.”

Sousuke swallowed the pills and downed the bottle of water. “My life is not a fucking tv drama or one of those rom coms you watch, Rin. This doesn’t make us a couple. Hell! It makes me like Nanase even less.”

Rin sighed. “Man, just when you two were finally calling each other by your given names…”

Sousuke glared, but Rin wasn’t looking at him to see it.

“You should at least tell him about it,” Rin said.

Sighing, Sousuke leaned back into the couch and rubbed his eyes. “What would I say? ‘Hey, I know we’re barely even friends, but my soulmark came in and it matches yours and it’s freaking me the fuck out?’”

“Yeah, that sounds fine,” Rin replied. “Haru will understand. He doesn’t believe in soulmates either, but it does concern him and he has a right to know. Imagine if I had one that matched you and I didn’t tell you. How would that feel?”

Sousuke took a moment to think about it. “...that’d be pretty shitty.”

“Exactly. You may be a drunk idiotic party boy, but you’re not a shitty person. You’re respectful and honest about your intentions and straightforward. So although I have to scold you right now, I know you’re going to do the right thing.”

They sat in silence for a while, but a comfortable one. Rin had resumed the episode he’d been watching, letting the sound soothe them.

When the episode was over, Sousuke asked, “Can I crash here tonight?”

“Of course you idiot,” Rin answered. “I’m getting you birthday pancakes in the morning.”

Sousuke immediately stretched out on the couch as soon as Rin stood up. Everything was still fuzzy and weird, but he felt better than he had when the night started. 

He would deal with this tomorrow, after pancakes and a fistful of painkillers for what is certain to be a gnarly headache. He would deal with this, because Sousuke promised himself years ago he’d stop running away from his problems.

  
  



	27. SouHaru - “Is it possible to love too much?”

“Sit down.”

Sousuke paused in his pacing, but soon resumed his route of the waiting room.

“Sousuke, sit,” Haru commanded.

Sousuke frowned, but dutifully took his seat next to Haru.

Haru reached over and placed his hand over Sousuke’s, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. “You’re putting all the animals on edge. Macchiato will be fine, so calm down.”

Moving his hand so he could hold onto Haru’s, Sousuke complained, “But what if she isn’t? She was so sick, Haru.”

Sousuke had called Haru in a panic as he was driving to the veterinary hospital. Sousuke had come home to find his faithful keeshond Macchiato, whimpering on the floor, the contents of its stomach all over the kitchen. Haru left work immediately to meet Sousuke, knowing he’d be in pieces if left by himself.

Sousuke had rescued Macchiato a year ago, on a case where a neighbor called in their suspicious neighbor. It turned out the neighbor was a hoarder and had several animals in her house, all filthy and close to starving. Macchiato had bitten him when he first tried to grab her, thinking he was there to hurt her. Sousuke didn’t yank his hand away, instead sitting down closer to her and allowing her to calm down. Eventually she let him pet her, and he showered her with soft praises. 

It was never an option for her to go home with someone else. Within a few months, she was plump, happy, and as in love with Sousuke as he was with her. 

“Is it possible to love too much?” Sousuke asked in a whisper.

Haru closed his eyes and pursed his lips to hold back his sigh. For as tough as Sousuke was, he was extremely soft hearted when it came to Macchiato. Haru remembered when Rin asked if Haru was jealous of her. Haru was pissed because he couldn’t hide from Rin that he was. Just a little.

“No, Sousuke, I don’t think you can love too much. Even if your heart gets broken, it’s worth it, isn’t it?”

Sousuke lifted Haru’s hand to lips and pressed a kiss to it. Haru smiled, knowing Sousuke was almost extremely soft when it came to him, too.

“Yamazaki-san?” called the nurse.

Sousuke was on his feet and over to her in an instant, dragging Haru with him.

“Macchiato will be alright,” the nurse smiled, “She had eaten some ribbon and it got tangled up in her system. We believed we removed all of it, but we’d like to keep her for a couple days to make sure.”

Sousuke groaned in relief. “It must’ve been from the park. There was a kid’s birthday party and there was balloons and trash everywhere. Can I see her?”

“Yes, of course.” The nurse led them to the back, where Macchiato was resting inside of a cage. Hearing Sousuke approaching, she moved her head as much as she could toward him, her tail giving a single wag.

Sousuke reached in and gently rubbed her behind her ears, telling her what a good girl she is, how she did so well, how they’ll be more careful at the park from now on. Haru couldn’t help but smirk, listening to the higher pitch Sousuke’s voice took.

“I’ll be back to check on you tomorrow, okay sweetheart? I know you’ll be good for the staff here.”

Macchiato wagged her tail once more as Sousuke gave her a kiss to her snout and Haru reached in to pat her head affectionately. Haru tugged on his arm, leading Sousuke out as he kept turning back to see Macchiato until they were back in the waiting room.

“Come on, Sou,” Haru said as he walked out to Sousuke’s car. “I’ll keep you distracted tonight.”

Sousuke laughed, pulling Haru back for a kiss. “What would I do without you?”

Haru smiled, knowing Sousuke would never have to find out.

  
  



	28. SouHaru - “You’re really soft.”

Sousuke knows he looks different enough to shock Haru. It had taken some for Sousuke to accept his body had to change. Throughout college he kept up with his rigorous workouts to stay cut, but medical school overseas had been a different story. He’s still strong and fit, but the definition is gone, his torso covered in a nice layer of fat.

He and Haru are on pretty good terms nowadays, have been for the last several years. It’s not like he doesn’t know his way around anymore, but he thought it’d be nice to not be alone. Haru meets Sousuke’s criteria of good company: someone who doesn’t force small talk and eats anything. But seeing Haru’s slow and thorough appraisal of him makes him regret offering to meet up.

Eventually Haru nods (what he’s approving of, Sousuke doesn’t know), and heads back into the train station. He tells Sousuke about an izakaya he’s wanted to try, but Rin won’t go because he’s on too strict of a diet. Thankfully, Sousuke’s down for anything as long as there’s food and booze.

The train is unusually crowded for this late on a weekday. Sousuke’s trying not to get annoyed at the noise and heat. Surprisingly, he’s not bothered by Haru pressed against his him. It actually feels kind of…. nice.

The train continues to rock them, Haru bouncing against his chest with every turn and brake.

“You’re really soft,” Haru whispers, more to himself than to Sousuke.

Despite how he looks now, Sousuke knows he’s still strong enough to pick Haru up and toss him out of the train at the next stop. He thinks about it for a minute until he looks down and sees just how rosey Haru’s cheeks are.

_ He fucking likes it _ .

More people cram into the train carriage forcing them even closer. Sousuke smirks watching Haru’s fingers twitch, obviously wanting to grab onto Sousuke’s shirt. The next time the train lurches, Sousuke steadies himself with a hand on Haru’s waist, encouraging Haru to get friendlier.

The way Haru flushes even more as his fingers press against Sousuke’s soft stomach is so, so satisfying. He’s definitely going to have fun tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All hail Chubsuke


	29. SouHaru Halloween - “I will never forgive you for this.”

“This is this the stupidest thing you’ve ever talked me into,” Sousuke said.

“Who’s more foolish, the fool or the fool who follows him?” Rin replied.

“Do not quote Star Wars at me.”

“You’re the one who asked for help, and I helped.” Rin shrugged as he finished with the top button. “Is there enough room across the chest?”

Sousuke rolled his shoulders and stretched out his arms. “No, it’s fine. Who even made this?”

“Mama did, of course. She was thrilled when I asked, she demanded no less than 10 photos,” Rin replied.

Sousuke groaned, wondering for the hundredth time in the last four hours why he agreed to let Rin solve his problem for him. All he wanted was a costume he looked good in, more specifically, a costume Haru would think he looked good in. The only limitation he gave Rin was that he was not going to dress up as a piece of mackerel.

Sousuke really should have given more guidelines.

“Take a look in the mirror,” Rin ordered.

Sousuke groaned again and went down the hallway to one of their full length mirrors. He stared at the reflection in mild horror. “I will never forgive you for this, Rin.”

Rin snorted and patted Sousuke on the arm as he walked by. “Yeah, tell me that again after Haru gets here.”

Sousuke just glared at Rin’s smirk. Before he could think of a snappy comeback, Rin was already locked in the bathroom putting the finishing touches for his cat costume. It wasn’t very original, but cats were one of Makoto’s weaknesses, and Rin wanted his attention all night.

The bright side of this entire situation was the Halloween party was at their apartment. He didn’t have to deal with the humiliation of going out in public with this ridiculous costume on. If necessary, he could lock himself in his room for the night, start on a plot on how to get revenge on Rin.

Sousuke wandered to the kitchen. He looked at their collection of bottles, deciding that maybe if he was already drunk when Haru showed up, it wouldn’t be so bad. He poured himself four fingers of whiskey, knocking back half with a single gulp. 

The front door burst open, Rin had unlocked it as he always did. Their friends had no manners anyway, so there was no point of having proper manners of welcoming guests to their home. Gou and Chigusa stepped in behind Rei and Nagisa. Nagisa ran for Sousuke, talking so fast and so loud, Sousuke already tuned it out. His embarrassment could not be counteracted by any amount of enthusiasm.

Sousuke finished the rest of his whiskey and poured another glass.

Finally perfect, Rin emerged from the bathroom to greet them. The door had been left wide open and as he moved to close it, Haru and Makoto walked in. A wicked grin spread across Rin’s face.

“Once again,” Rin started as he grabbed Haru’s wrist, “I’d like to show you a sight you’ve never seen before.”

He pulled Haru closer inside and around the couch, voiding Sousuke’s terrible attempt at hiding. Rin could hear the faintest gasp as he saw him. All eyes were on Haru as he took in Sousuke’s costume. 

Yamazaki Sousuke - grumpy, intimidating, able bench press everyone in the room, maybe two at once - in a fuzzy, bright yellow, Iwatobi-chan kigurumi.

The intensity of Haru’s unwavering stare froze Sousuke in place. Each step Haru took toward him was like a panther slinking toward its trapped prey. Sousuke felt like he was going to be eaten alive.

Haru stopped in front of him, eyes steady and sparkling. Sousuke recognized it as the same look Haru gave the water when he had been out of it for too long. But there was something else there, something more.

Haru was blushing.

Everyone in the apartment was watching, but it made no difference to Haru. He reached out, running a hand 

“I like it,” Haru said softly, the pink on his cheeks glowing.

Sousuke would have to thank Rin afterall.

 


	30. SouHaru - “Delete that immediately.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Saved my fav for last <3

Haru could feel Sousuke looming next to him. The air between them crackled with intensity. Haru know something was coming, but he pretended he hadn’t even noticed Sousuke’s presence, continuing to care for the aquarium on his phone.

“Delete it immediately.”

Haru snorted and ignored him. He knew exactly what Sousuke was talking about

“I’m serious, Haruka. Delete it. Right now,” Sousuke ordered.

At the use of his unabbreviated name, Haru turned to look Sousuke in the eye. They were glaring at each other; this was going to be a battle of wills. Haru was determined not to be the one to break.

“What’s the problem with it? It’s not like it’s a dick pic.”

It was Sousuke’s turn to snort. “I wouldn’t give a shit if it was a dick pic. But  _ that _ is private. I don’t even know how you got that, everyone promised no photos.”

Haru raised an eyebrow. “You trusted them?”

“I threatened them,” Sousuke said with a wicked hint of pride.

“Okay, fair,” Haru conceded, “But I won’t reveal my sources. Don’t worry, it’s just for me.”

“It’s not just you who can see it, Haru.”

Good lord, Sousuke must’ve watched  _ Terminator _ again.

“It’s already on my phone, so it’s already part of Skynet. Getting rid of it now won’t make a difference.”

Arms crossed over his chest, Sousuke puffed himself up even larger. He didn’t really want to intimidated Haru, but this was important. “It makes a difference to me, Haru. It’s a picture of me. I get to decide what happens to it.”

“Maybe I’ll post it on twitter afterall,” Haru mused as if Sousuke hadn’t spoken.

Sousuke’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“I mean, it’s my official account to share swimming stuff, but Rin’s been telling me fans are dying to see more things from everyday life. Get to know me  _ personally _ .”

“Haru, please.” 

There was a desperate twinge in his voice signaling Haru’s victory. Sousuke was ready to discuss terms.

Haru stood and pushed Sousuke back into the seat he vacated. “I get to keep the picture.”

“Haru-”

He straddled Sousuke’s thighs, shutting him up. “But I promise I won’t show it to anyone.”

Sousuke gave him a dubious look, but didn’t argue.

“I swear, Sousuke. If I do, I won’t eat mackerel for the rest of my life.”

A quiet sigh of relief came from Sousuke. If Haru was willing to bet against mackerel, then it was a serious promise. “Okay, I acc-”

“I wasn’t finished,” Haru leaned closer and pressed his chest against Sousuke, lips only centimeters apart, before continuing, “I get to keep the picture  _ and _ you have to wear the outfit for me. You have to be my maid for an evening.”

Earlier in their relationship Sousuke would’ve thought Haru was joking. He knew better now, knew Haru was (unfortunately) completely serious and shouldn’t be messed with.

That, and - Sousuke blamed the way Haru was draped over him now - the idea wasn’t entirely without merit. 

“Why are you like this?” Sousuke asked, his pride not letting him give in right away.

Haru narrowed his eyes, like a predator sizing up his prey. “Deal?”

Groaning and running his hands through his hair in frustration, Sousuke agreed. 

“Deal.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on twitter at @tspofnutmeg


End file.
